A really good friend of mine just asked for our family to be involved in a lovely holiday party at a local nursing home for the elderly. Her grandmother is there and she'd love to bring some cheer to the other residents with decorations, crafts, children, treats and probably gifts. I adore her for putting her effort where her heart is because it's all too often folks have these thoughtful ideas and no time or resources to execute them.
Are you humored about how I've titled this post "I've just said"no" to something" just before telling you what a beautiful party this will be?
We will return from Disney World on 12/20. The party is on 12/22. I had taken that week off from work to bake, do holiday crafts with the kids and generally get ready for Christmas without having to juggling my mountain of vacation laundry AND my job.
I know my children. They are not those warm fuzzy kids that come with an easy smile. They won't go along with the other children, merrily singing Christmas carols. They won't accept a cookie a friendly elderly lady offers them. They won't entertain the conversation. The event will be stressful for us and frustrating for those we're trying to spread cheer too. It's so well intended and will be lovely - it's just got a good match for us.
Normally in this situation I would beat around the bush, half-way commit, dread, feel overwhelmed, somehow try to make it work and leave thinking "why didn't you just say no to begin with!?" Today, without hesitation, though, I said no. I was tactful and gracious. I meant every word of praise I offered about putting this party together. I sincerely hope it turns out beautifully and is a really fulfilling experience for everyone involved. But still...we will not be there and I don't feel guilty about that. I did, however, offer to bake something or contribute a gift. LOL
No comments:
Post a Comment